


The Easter Bunny was a Fox

by fragilevixen



Series: The Little Redhead [2]
Category: The X-Files
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Family, Fluff and Humor, Humor, Mock case, Post-Season/Series 11 AU, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-20
Updated: 2019-04-20
Packaged: 2020-01-22 21:29:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18535834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fragilevixen/pseuds/fragilevixen
Summary: Scully has to pick up Bill, Tara, and a couple of surprise family from the airport, leaving Mulder alone with their 6-year-old daughter, Eliana, on Easter Morning. All she has for him are curiosities as Easter’s non-Christian ideology unfolds before her eyes…creating the most unique bonding opportunity for a father and his daughter.





	1. Nothing is Ordinary in this House

**Author's Note:**

  * For [flicked_switch](https://archiveofourown.org/users/flicked_switch/gifts).



> My dearest Elise, I couldn’t stop giggling when I finally tacked this one down so I truly, hope you love it.
> 
> I truly don’t remember if they actually named a town that the Unremarkable House was located but Clifton is a perfect, small, rural town in VA that is essentially right on the outskirts of the metropolitan epicenter of DC. It’s far enough out that Mulder would be happy and close enough that Scully wouldn’t be entirely cut off from the world.
> 
>  
> 
> Disclaimer: Agent Scully, Agent Mulder, and Assistant Director Skinner belong respectively to Chris Carter, FOX Productions, and TenThirteen Productions. All other characters are original and any likeness or named similarities to any real-life persons are purely coincidental (unless, well, you’ve been told, then you should’ve expected such things and shouldn’t get upset over anything that happens to them, respectively)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sweetest start to an Easter morning in the Mulder-Scully house

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's only the tiniest hint of sexual innuendo in the beginning...nothing really after. They're adults, after all!

 

_I have no special talents._

_I am only passionately curious._

-Albert Einstein

 

 

4:45 AM

The Unremarkable House

Clifton, VA

 

                “Scully…we don’t have long until we’re invaded by a little Ginger who thinks she’s an alarm clock,” Mulder was thanking any and all higher power in the universe for the invention of blackout curtains as he spooned against her, wrapping his arm around her until she groaned. “Do you wanna mess around?”

                “Your memory is finally starting to take a nosedive, Mulder,” Scully’s eyes refused to open, relishing the warmth of him against her in spite of the budding erection pressing against her ass. “I have to leave for the airport to pick up Bill and Tara, remember?”

                “I remember, I’m in denial of the imminent dirty looks from your still angry brother that you’re not just sleeping with me but I put a ring on it and participated in creating the too smart for her own good little redhead who looks shockingly like you,” Mulder kissed the curve of her jaw and caressed her shoulder, rubbing up against her just a little bit more.

                “Mulder, come on, we don’t have time…calm down,” Scully opened her eyes and let the digital light of the clock half blind her as she winced, sliding her hips forward to evade his. “You’re problematic.”

                “I think you mean, incorrigible, still wired like a thirty-year-old that you can’t get enough of,” Mulder pulled her back, nuzzling the back of her neck, nibbling the spot behind her ear. “Now, don’t start in on the laughing and wake up Eliana.”

                “I need to have you tested for dementia,” Scully swatted him and slid out of the bed, her hair cascading around her face as she reached for the light switch. “I can’t be late picking them up and you know it.”

                “The fact that I am braving my sixties with a child under ten is either candidacy for Sainthood or eligibility for a straightjacket for the rest of my life,” Mulder’s back had a knack for perfect timing of the punchline as he sat up, the zipper-effect of popping moving from the bottom of his spine to the top as he stretched his arms toward the ceiling. “Ah, shit…you know it’s getting bad when that’s almost as good as sex.”

                “Should I corroborate that or be insulted?” Scully was staring at the undeniably well-defined back of the man that she had been nesting with for longer than she even stopped to realize and loving for even longer. “At least we haven’t crossed the bridge where we’ve broken hips rattling the bed away from the wall…”

                “Don’t deny it, you’re looking forward to the day we have to go to the hospital with fractures from a massive ‘whoops’ in the bed and seeing the delightful expression on the face of every nurse when we have to explain ourselves,” Mulder pulled a tee shirt on and stood up, his knees popping louder than his back, almost as though they were jealous of the spotlight not being squarely on them. “Sweet baby Jesus...okay, those hurt a little bit…”

                “I keep telling you, stop crawling like a bear with Ellie, but you refuse to listen each and every time,” Scully disappeared into the bathroom where she stripped out of her pajamas and stood in the mirror, the little crow’s feet finally making her look every bit the part of a woman who had spent the better part of the past six years laughing and being so much more than the woman that had once watched a child leave her arms to be raised by another family. “At least you still look like you did fifteen years ago, whereas I’m starting to become a lesson in gravity.”

                Mulder came up behind her in the bathroom as she slipped on a comfortable yet attractive looking, matching set of undergarments that made him groan as he wrapped his arms around her, drinking her in all over again. “I don’t know how many times I can say this but, you are every bit the woman that walked into my life thirty-two years ago, Scully…and I wouldn’t change one little mark on you for the world.”

                “Defused that emotional bomb real fast, didn’t you?” Scully still felt butterflies every time he held her in such a compromising state of undress, as though it were yesterday that they had finally let go and became so much more than partners. “Let me get dressed, though...”

                “I’ll make you coffee so you’re at least awake when you head out,” Mulder planted a kiss along the space above her eyebrow, lingering just a little before reluctantly maneuvering toward the door. “I’ve been waiting to make that exotic stuff so today is the perfect time to compete with the six-year-old’s level of energy.”

                Scully couldn’t help but chuckle as she slid into her jeans and snagged the shirt from the edge of the countertop, keeping her volume at a minimum. “That sounds so good.”

                Mornings had become sweetly routine—pressing the snooze and messing around until there was a mess of curly hair atop a mismatched, pajama-clad, porcelain-faced child standing at the end of the bed, not so nonchalantly tugging at toes to announce her arrival. The group snuggle was usually short-lived over the escalation of giggles that turned quickly into short bursts of shrieks. Mulder didn’t honestly know where she had inherited that little habit from until discovering Scully’s actual ticklish spot during a particularly hot and heavy evening that resulted in waking every person in a two-mile radius. The reaction, while shocking, got more questions about why Daddy laying on Mommy like that than either of them cared to explain to a four-year-old standing in the doorway. It was apparent, at that moment, that Eliana was going to make them question sanity and genetics for the rest of their natural lives.

                No matter the near misses, it was as close to bliss as they could’ve gotten.

                Mulder stood at the counter, quietly filling the coffee pot as he glanced out into the yard, the evidence of Scully’s Easter preparations more than obvious as he smiled at the little pops of color peeking out from below bushes and along posts. Eliana didn’t really have a lot of opportunities to spend time with kids but she was one of the more imaginative, play-oriented children that he had ever witnessed; today was going to become a bit of a sensory overload and Scully’s choice of attire was going to result in mud going all over at some point, he just knew. Their home had once been filled with evidence of their former life…a mausoleum of evidence collection, the witnessing of the paranormal, and the search for so much more than the truth. While it was still heavily dedicated to both of their interests, both of this world and not, the age range was considerably more dedicated to consumption by a younger generation.

                 Eliana was so much more than the center of their universe—she was the second chance that had made a lot more than just love worth fighting for.

                “You keep wearing those sweats in the kitchen and it’s going to make getting out of here on time considerably more difficult, Mulder,” Scully’s voice snapped him out of the trance as she flipped the light on and slid into her shoes.

                Mulder poured two cups of coffee, mixed the creamer and sugar and turned around with a smirk resting on his lips. “Is that a fancy way to tell me that you like my butt?”

                “Yep,” Scully held the cup to her lips and groaned a little over the hot coffee as she swallowed, the caffeinated beverage hitting her with almost an immediate punch of sweetness and bolder flavors. “Oh, yeah…I needed that.”

                “You better get your booty on the way or you’re going to have to explain to a little girl why she can’t go with you on this outing,” Mulder nodded toward the door as he watched Scully lean against the counter, sipping his own coffee.

                Scully’s eyes snapped open as she snatched up a travel tumbler, pouring the remaining amount of her coffee into it while leaning in for a quick, necessary kiss. “Keep her busy and try not to spoil the surprise or ruin her dress before I get back?”

                “You put far more faith in my ability to keep her from jumping into the puddle out back than I would, just forewarning you,” Mulder smirked and offered to help her with the sleeves of her coat, sliding them on just enough to give her a good squeeze from behind. “I’d much rather you stay here with us and just lounge until the sun sets.”

                “Or the angry phone calls roll in from my brother wondering why I didn’t pick everyone up?” Scully smirked and lavished him with a kiss, reveling in the moment that she wished could last forever. “You can tease the egg hunt to keep her busy if you need to—since I already spent at least two hours hiding them yesterday when you two went to the store for more food for the get-together.”

                “Crafty, you are…If necessary I’ll tiptoe around it but try not to let her get into it too deeply,” Mulder winked at her as she opened the door, shoving his hands into his pockets as she lingered for a moment. “Love you. I’ll see you in a bit…”

 

 

 

Twenty Minutes later

 

                The tapping of little feet coming down the stairs in rapid, yet randomized bursts had Mulder half laughing as he poured his second cup of coffee just in time to hear the rhythmic humming that he couldn’t quite decipher as any particular song. The little, bare feet skidded across the floor in zigzags, avoiding the landmine of toys that she had neglected to put away the night before just as she came to a screeching halt in the archway to the kitchen. She beamed at him, her little, rosy cheeks and mess of lengthy curls told the tale of the battle she had just finished with her bedding as she wiped her stray locks away from her face and double checked her little, purple robe around her matching satin nightgown. She had drooled at some point in the night, Mulder had determined, as he watched her wipe away the stray, half dried streak across the side of her mouth before she trotted across the floor to hug him at his thigh.

                There was little denying that she was his; even if he had tried, she shared too many of his features and crazy sleep habits.

                “Morning, sugar foot, how’d you sleep?” Mulder couldn’t help but run his fingers through that hair with his wet hands, taming the lioness just enough to coax a rather healthy smirk in the process.

                “I chased the sassy-squatch and kicked him in the leg,” Eliana’s pronunciation was usually spot-on but she still loved to botch certain words in spite of knowing exactly how to say them. “I woke up when he got away.”

                “You kicked him in the leg?” Mulder gestured for her to go sit at the table, the prep for breakfast already more than started as he poured her a glass of milk. “My brave, big girl is going to have to convince Mommy to let her go Squatchin’ so we can do that to a real one.”

                “Mommy can come, too, she’ll help,” Eliana already had her eyebrows up in the air with excitement, the confidence swirling as she yawned while she spoke, sleepily glancing at the small glass of juice next to the milk as Mulder set it in front of her. “He’ll run away when she gives him the look I get when I’m supposed to take a bath.”

                “Or when Daddy lets you watch movies about Sasquatch in the woods right before bed?” Mulder was trying not to laugh as he popped the eggs into the pan while Eliana kicked her legs back and forth in the chair. “You can drink the orange juice first, if you’re thirsty, puddin’.”

                “Mommy didn’t like it, though,” Eliana started looking around with the cup in her hand, sipping the juice while furrowing her brow in his direction. “Hey…I thought she wasn’t supposed to go to work today. She’s going to miss the Easter Bunny!”

                “She’s not at work but she’ll be a little bit so it’s just you and me for a short-short, which means no fighting the comb in that rat’s nest on top of your head,” Mulder wiggled the spatula at her and did his best attempt at a stern voice as she set the cup back on the table. “Mommy wouldn’t miss the Easter Bunny, she’ll be back for all of the fun and see you in that dress you two picked out.”

                Eliana already had half of Scully’s expressions on lock as she gave Mulder a look that could’ve killed as he dished up a plate of breakfast for her, complete with buttered toast. “I don’t like the comb, Daddy, and the spray smells like gladiolas…it’s icky.”

                “If you don’t like the detangling spray then you have to wash your hair,” Mulder set her plate in front of her and sat down with her, raising his eyebrows at her as she followed him with that stare. “You can play with the stereo if you do that and wipe that look off your face, lil miss.”

                She had a bite of her eggs already in her mouth, the pensive, attitude stricken expression slowly melting away as she shrugged her shoulders at him and pushed her bottom lip out at him. “Promise, Daddy?”

                “Cross my heart—can’t have you looking like the robins are trying to nest in your hair in a pretty dress. Your Mother would kill me,” Mulder was chewing on his toast, amused by the fidgeting of his precocious six-year-old as she ate her breakfast. “Why are you so wiggly, Ellie?”

                Eliana was distracted by the lack of her Mother on a Sunday morning and even moreso that she had spent the previous three days helping in small doses to prep an epic egg hunt and saw nothing to show for the work they’d done. “Just thinkin’ about today…and about why Mommy had me helping her make the boiled eggs pretty with colors.”

                “Well, they’re for hunting and for the Easter Bunny. Didn’t Mommy tell you or were you not listening when she was telling you about Easter?” Mulder took a healthy drink of his coffee and watched as she sipped her milk, leaving behind a little mustache along the curve of her upper lip that preceded a quiet, healthy burp. “Excuse you.”

                “Sorry, Daddy,” Eliana giggled and wiped her mouth before taking a bite of her toast, furrowing her eyebrows at him again. “She told me about Easter but didn’t tell me what the eggs were for…what is the Easter Bunny and why are we helping him hunt for eggs? Wait, are we hunting him like a sassy-squatch?”

                “So Mommy told you about Jesus and the Resurrection…and celebration of life but not a big-eared, pastel wearing rabbit, right?” Mulder watched her eyebrows go straight up as she continued to eat her breakfast, thoroughly confused by the reference. “Not quite like the Sasquatch. It’s more like gathering things _for_ the Easter Bunny. You made eggs pretty so that he will come to see us and give more gifts—in fact, he gives more eggs as a gift for you finding them.”

                “ _More eggs_? The toots, Daddy,” Eliana made Mulder choke on his coffee from the laughter as she matter-of-factly introduced the idea of eating dozens of boiled eggs and the gastric emissions they’d likely cause. “I don’t think I like this. Why does he want to give us _more_ eggs?”

                “Some of them aren’t real eggs like the ones that you and Mommy decorated the other night—they might be little plastic eggs with candy or toys inside,” Mulder wiped his face from the trail of coffee and set the cup down before reaching across the table to tuck her hair behind her ear. “I tell you what, my little trainee…if you finish your breakfast then get your rear in the tub to get cleaned up and dressed, by the time you get downstairs, Daddy will be ready to show you how to properly investigate the Easter Bunny.”

                She was already halfway to her feet with the nearly emptied cup of milk in her hand, splattering it on her face as she eagerly drank it down. “Really?! Do I get a badge?”

                “You can’t really be a proper investigator without a badge,” Mulder fed her the last bite of her eggs and wiped her face as she teetered in front of him, her pretty, long lashes fluttering at him, highlighting the tiniest, barely visible little freckles on that girl’s face along the apples of her cheeks. “Do you want to be Agent Elle-Belle or Agent Sugar Foot?”

                Eliana carried her own plate to the sink, sliding it along already dirty dishes while Mulder picked up both cups, her excitement carrying over as she let out a loud, undeniably adorable giggle as she turned around. “Daddy, I’m supposed to be Agent Eliana Mulder…that’s my name, only makes sense.”

                “Oh, my bad, Miss…I mean, _Agent_ Eliana Mulder,” His gut reaction was to scoop her up and love on her but he simply laid a kiss on the top of her head, rubbed his nose against hers and submerged the dirty dishes into the soapy water while he gestured toward the stairs. “You’d better get your butt in gear, then, or I’ll change my mind.”

                “Okay, Daddy! I’m going, I’m going, I’m going!” Eliana’s graceless sprint was reminiscent of his own lanky movements as she nearly toppled over an end table before filling the entire house with the sounds of her feet, and hands, pounding on the stairs as she made her way to the top.

                Mulder was silent for a moment, thinking over the use of the already set up backyard and their living room to make a proper investigation for his sweet six-year-old, who was bent on having an official badge to make it real. He was not-so-subtle about his thankfulness that Scully had already set up the egg hunt as he spotted the first dots of color along the edge of the decking, masked only by the curves of planters that she had arranged along the steps. He scratched his head and stared out toward the edge of the yard, leaving a trail of soap suds across his forehead while the loud thuds above him only momentarily concerned him as he gently tilted his head toward the ceiling. His eyebrow elevated as he could hear the water running, halfway drowning out the sounds of the stereo playing. The faint, off-key, but on beat duet was belting out every lyric to a certain little Three Dog Night song that brought a massive smirk to his face as he recollected another brilliant redhead singing that song much quieter once upon a time.

                He’d never let her forget it, though, that it was their song.

                 “Hey, sugar foot, is that song on repeat!?” Mulder tilted his mouth upwards, getting some solid volume as he heard the song starting to fade.

                “Yep!” Her one-word answer was all he needed as he could hear the song started all over, from the beginning.

                It was going to be one hell of a fantastic morning with Eliana—Mulder had already determined and decided.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The introductory chapter...how'd I do? LOL Love you, Elise!


	2. Laminated Little Rectangle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two continues where the first left off as Mulder creates a half-way haphazard bonding experience with Eliana as they investigate the magic that is Easter—and the clumsiness that ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Note** For sanity’s sake, Skinner survived the incident at the end of MSIV. Mulder has no real family and he’s the best surrogate uncle I could think of aside from Bill. Additional note…the file ID (139-HQ-33124) is a communication interception from HQ for the direct date of Easter in 2024 (I know, so clever).
> 
> Disclaimer: Agent Scully, Agent Mulder, and Assistant Director Skinner belong respectively to Chris Carter, FOX Productions, and TenThirteen Productions. All other characters are original and any likeness or named similarities to any real-life persons are purely coincidental (unless, well, you’ve been told, then you should’ve expected such things and shouldn’t get upset over anything that happens to them, respectively)

 

 

_When you’re curious,_

_You find lots of interesting_

_Things to do._

-Walt Disney

 

 

7:00 AM

 

                The office had a mild odor of dust as Mulder had already tossed a couple of mythology books onto the floor that hadn’t been touched in at least twenty years. He thumbed the pages, folding back a couple of markers on sections about Easter’s origins and had everything sprawled out even messier than it was back when he was actively working for the FBI. He smiled at the notion of creating a mock case for his child and knew how silly it would look from the outside but also already felt the pure joy it would give to Eliana in the process—an outcome that meant more than he could even describe in words. Mulder was thanking the maker for a laminator that Skinner had given them as a random, slightly out of place, gift for their anniversary three years earlier. It had become a device that was sitting in the office, doing nothing more than collecting dust and here he was, on Easter Sunday, creating a remarkable looking fake badge for his six-year-old. Life was certainly filled with the unexpected as the seemingly useless were now popping up as a clutch necessity to enhance the wondrous little world that was being created for Eliana. He smirked as he thought back on the adventures with Scully at his side for so long, knowing that she’d be shaking her head at the amount of energy he was exhausting to make everything perfect for Eliana. He trapped his tongue between his teeth as he put the finishing touches on it and clipped it to an old lanyard so she could wear it around her neck.

                “Hey, look at that,” Mulder was proud of his handy work as he held it between his fingers, thumbing over the school photograph he utilized for the occasion. “She is going to freak out over this one.”

                Her running across the wood floor was the first thing he could hear as he smiled from the desk chair, turning it toward the doorway as she came running in, announcing her arrival like a bat out of hell. “I’m clean! I brushed my hair all by myself _and_ put two clips in it…and I put on my dress. I’m ready.”

                “Where are your tights?” Mulder couldn’t help but notice the perfectly cute dress she wore sans the white tights that were supposed to go with them as he found her already grinning like a Cheshire cat as she rocked back onto her heels. “Ellie, come on, they were right next to the dress…”

                “I kinda…stuck my big toe right through the leg and ripped a hole right down to the bottom,” Eliana was half demonstrating the motion, gracelessly maneuvering her toe up then back to the floor with a thud. “It was an accident, Daddy!”

                “You got the two left feet from your mother…Don’t tell her I said that,” Mulder sighed softly and poked her nose, fairly impressed with how well she had managed her own hair for a change. “Are you ready for your present for our morning investigation?”

                Eliana had a wide smile plastered to her face, ear to ear, as she nodded eagerly and leaned across his knee, having no concept of a personal bubble as she rested her elbows against him. “I get a surprise?!”

                “You can’t really be an Agent if you don’t have your very own identification,” Mulder presented the homemade lanyard for her and watched the pure joy illuminate as she held it between her fingers, the scale of it was perfect for her even though it was just smaller than actual FBI issue. “Does that mean you approve?”

                “Oh, yes, Daddy…I love it, thank you,” Eliana hugged him, wrapping her arms around his neck while she continued to grasp the laminated rectangle between her fingers. “Now, we have to get started on inspecting the Easter Bunny mystery.”

                “Okay, well, you need a few things to get started. Put your identification around your neck so you don’t lose it,” Mulder helped her put it around her neck so her picture and name was clearly visible, nodding at her gently. “There, that looks perfect.”

                “So I’m official?” Eliana was more excited than any rookie FBI Agent ever was but he compared it to the way he felt when he was accepted into Oxford. “What are all of the books for, Daddy?”

                “Well, every good investigator needs to have information about their subject readily available—so I found all of my books on Easter to help us both out,” Mulder put them along the second table that had been recently organized and cleared, opening one to an illustrated page with a decorated egg on it. “You’ll also need a notepad and a pencil, I’ll carry the print kit, and we need to have an evidence bag.”

                She was up on her tiptoes, peeking at him as he reached for a rather large box marked “FBI gear”, pulling contents out one by one to set on the top of the desk while standing up next to her. “Daddy, did you have to do a lot of research when you and Mommy were doing cases?”

                “Yes and no, Ellie,” Mulder handed her a pencil and a smaller sized notepad after wiping the layer of dust off of it, furrowing his eyebrows. “It depended greatly on the case—some needed more care and info gathering than others. We also had some fall into our laps that we had to learn about as we went. Not unlike this one.”

                “What do you think we’ll be learning?” Eliana flipped the front cover open and pushed her pencil through the top like a true professional, coaxing a healthy laugh out of Mulder in the process.

                “Well, you might not know this but Easter was originally a pagan festival dedicated to Ostara. She had a companion animal that was responsible for all of the eggs. Up until the mid-20th century, the Germans believed that the animal companion was actually a fox,” Mulder liked being able to drop a little nugget of his educational background, even if it were completely random,  as he stuffed a couple of small, rolled paper sacks into his pocket before grasping the dusting kit. “The fox was gradually displaced by the Easter Bunny since it was less ferocious and predatory.”

                “Daddy, you made that up,” Eliana was caught somewhere between dazzled and disbelief as she stared up at him, sounding eerily like Scully.

                “I did not,” Mulder feigned hurt as he flicked the lid of the dusting kit open and nearly sent a plume of it into the air. “That could’ve been a disaster.”

                “But…Daddy…Fox is your name,” Eliana pointed at his old nameplate and elevated her eyebrows at him, scrutinizing him a little more. “Are you sure you’re not making it up?”

                “Cross my heart,” Mulder couldn’t believe he had to swear that he was telling the truth to a six-year-old but his child wasn’t the average child as he bopped her on the top of the head with his own notepad. “Are you ready, Freddy? We’ve got an investigation to get going on.”

                “Wait, I need to go do one thing… Wait for me while I go get something important,” Eliana pushed her notepad into his hands, tapped him on the wrist while she gave him a stern look and went running off in the other direction. “Don’t start without me, Daddy!”

                “Wouldn’t dream of it, sugar foot,” Mulder shook his head and moved a few things out of the way, setting up a great little station for reference with the lid of the box acting as a stand for their ‘evidence’ as it was collected.

                Mulder couldn’t help but think of everyone that was missing out on this hurricane of a child, knowing how much her grandparents, on both sides, would’ve loved her from the top of her head down to the tips of her toes. Tragedy had been a familiar part of their lives for so long but she brought something to both of them that they thought they’d lost—a second chance at a moment in the sun. Eliana’s name wasn’t passed down but it meant something to both of them as she became the answer to the question that they had been searching for, for so long. She was truly a breath of fresh air from the first, gut-driven cry she made to each little snort or giggle she made when she thought she was being quiet in the morning. Perfection didn’t exist but, boy, did she come awfully close.

                “Hey, turkey butt, whatcha doin’?” Mulder could hear her running around at the top of the stairs after half slamming her bedroom door along with the ‘oops’ that proceeded the thud it made. “Trying to knock down the walls?”

                “No, Daddy!” Eliana’s giggle made it difficult for frustrations to stick as she came bounding down the stairs. “I accidentally pulled the door shut too hard. I’m wound up and I haven’t had any candy at all.”

                “What’s that little smirk for, Agent Mulder?” He knew it sounded silly saying his own last name out loud, but the truth of it was that it was hers as well and made her happy all while he crossed his arms, giving her a studying look with a single brow raised. “Hmmm?”

                “Well, you said that the Easter Fox was around before the Easter Bunny, so I went upstairs to find this guy,” Eliana wiggled her DC Zoo stuffed Fennec Fox at him, his red fuzz and big eyes staring up at him almost as widely as hers. “His name is Frankie.”

                “Aptly named…what are you going to do with Frankie the Fox, Ellie?” Mulder watched as she turned around and trotted off toward the spot where the bunny was still perched next to a rather large basket.

                Eliana quietly squished him into the basket and carefully made the bunny into a comfortable chair for the large-eared stuffy. “He’s going to be the Easter Fox and now we can start the investigation, Daddy.”

                Mulder had an old, empty file folder in his hand that he had snatched from the same box, a serious expression passing over him as he made eye contact with Eliana. “File ID 139-HQ-33124. The Easter Fox has been spotted in the vicinity of Virginia or DC. He’s been leaving behind clues of his visits in the form of decorated eggs and eggs filled with toys or candies. Our surveillance teams have been tailing him for days and our best bet is in or around this building. We will be assisting in locating and tracking the continued movements—to apprehend the suspect.”

                Mulder didn’t honestly know if his attempt at making this a serious, miniature investigation was going to work but the solitary nod from Eliana as she double checked her lanyard confirmed that she was all in as she went for her dress shoes. She yanked on a pair of ankle socks that had been angled through the belt of her dress and affixed the pretty, patent leather Mary Janes with a tiny heel that hadn’t even gotten a scuff on them yet. She was all business in a heartbeat as she went right for the task with her shoulders straight and back rigid; carrying herself like a grown woman as she followed his lead with her eyes open, looking every bit like her Mother in more ways than could have been fathomed. Mulder couldn’t help but smile at the resemblance as her softened curls, still damp from the bath, were long enough to gather along her neck, fanning out along the jeweled clips that held it in place. He held his breath as she tilted her head to the side, looking up at him with an expectant expression, waiting for him to fall back into character and be Agent Mulder instead of her Daddy.

                “Okay, rookie, follow me and listen carefully to sudden movements—keep those eyes open,” Mulder motioned his index and middle fingers to his eyes then waved them around, exaggerating the gestures as he slipped his cell phone into his pocket. “Always…make sure that you keep a line of communication ready at a moment’s notice. Got it?”

                “Got it,” Eliana was enthralled, even more thrilled than she was at their normal level of play that took place inside these walls. “Listen, watch…communicate.”

                “You’re a fast learner, rookie,” Mulder gathered the dusting kit and headed for the front room, carefully spotting what was certainly only a smudge that Scully left when she went out the door, instantly smirking at the opportunity to show Eliana how to use the kit. “We got a print…it must be from that Easter Fox.”

                “What do we do?!” Eliana’s voice climbed an octave as followed him, carrying her notepad with a bunch of chicken scratch already jotted onto the first page. “Are we going to dust it to find more?”

                Mulder knelt in front of the door, pulling the curtains all of the way open to let the rest of the light in while he set the kit on the slats between them. “I have to show you how to use it first, though, so pay attention and be very careful not to make too much of a mess…”

                “Okay,” Eliana was almost too close to the powdered remnants as Mulder dotted it along the palm print, her face contorting just enough as the sneeze was visibly brewing, her nose scrunching up while he created the smallest, blue cloud with every dab of color. “Uh oh…Daddy?”

                “Oh, crap,” Mulder didn’t have time to react as she let it out, sneezing into the blue powder, sending it flying into his face and across his arms, lighting up a section of the wall with a wide splotch. “You okay, Ellie? Didn’t get anything on your new dress, right?”

                “I’m clean but you’re…um, blue, Daddy,” Eliana was trying not to laugh but the slightly darker than pastel blue dusting powder had him covered from the middle of his forehead all the way to his abs as he fluttered his eyelashes. “It’s so pretty!”

                “You are no help at all, rookie, but I don’t think I need to be pretty Daddy right now, do you? I don’t think I should be,” Mulder tried to pat the saturated sections of his shirt without getting more of it in her breathing path, or worse, all over her dress. “How about you go snatch a wet towel from the kitchen?”

                Eliana covered her mouth, quelling the giggling as she shielded the skirting of her dress from the falling bits of powder as Mulder looked at her with a halfway helpless expression. “Wet towel? Okay, I got it.”

                Mulder was slightly unaware of just how much powder had drifted across the floor as he listened to her little shoes tapping across the flooring, putting distance between them. He didn’t want any of it in his mouth as he used his shirt to wipe his face, sacrificing the remaining gray material to the play-time gods as he avoided swallowing the powder. The usual thematic of any day with Eliana was ‘how much mess can we make before Scully decides that she no longer needs a husband or a child anymore’ and he knew it as he stared down at the massive pile of pigmented dust that already resembled a crime scene in blue. Mulder’s ears perked as he distinctly heard Eliana in the kitchen turning on the faucet as he let the shirt fall forward, billowing more of the halfway shiny dust into the air in such a way that he finally noticed her cute, small shoe prints in blue all the way to the kitchen. He snorted over the realization that she had tracked the print dusting powder across the entire house in the style of Pink Panther.

                Mulder really wanted to clean it up before Scully got home but something told him that her darling marks on the floor would be perfect to at least start one hell of an egg hunt, or dissuade his inordinately messy child from wandering into the yard too quickly.

                “For the love of…Scully is going to kill me,” Mulder was already laughing nearly hysterically before he could even stand up straight, maneuvering toward the kitchen with his shirt folded to trap the powder against his chest. “Oh my God, Eliana we’re trying to find the Easter Fox not lead him right to you!”

                “I had to get the towel wet for you,” Eliana did a circle and finally looked down, the reality of her shoe prints finally popping out for her own eyes to see. “I think this must mean that I am a really bad rookie, Daddy.”

                “No, I’m pretty sure that this really means that I’m a very bad Senior Agent and you are a very good listener,” Mulder used the towel to wipe the rest of his face and the bottom of her shoes before gathering the dirty shirt to be tossed into the laundry. “Maybe we can use these adorable prints of yours to lure his big-eared butt into the kitchen and…Bam! Lights out for the Easter Fox.”

                “Yeah,” Eliana was the best parts of both of them, he had decided, as she smirked at him, her little eyelashes fluttering just enough to make him realize why he’d do it all over again in a heartbeat. “First, you go put on a clean shirt and stop giving our location away to the big-eared, little bodied guy who likes all of the little toot makers.”

                “Yes, ma’am,” Mulder chuckled and went into the laundry area, tossing his shirt into the small basin sink next to the washer and dryer to at least get some of the powder off of it before putting it into the dirty clothes. “Eliana, are you having fun being a rookie Agent or are you bored? You’re not going to hurt Daddy’s feelings if you would rather watch a movie until Mommy gets home.”

                Eliana came marching into the room as Mulder pulled on a new tee shirt, her arms crossed tightly at her chest. “No way, Jose, we’re on an adventure and going to solve all the clues. You’re having fun, aren’t you, Daddy?”

                Before he could answer, Mulder’s cell phone started ringing to the tune of ‘Jeremiah was a Bullfrog’ that sent Eliana into a fit of giggles he reached into his pocket to answer it, cutting the song in mid-refrain. “Before you go asking, no, I having set the house on fire and yes, that’s your child giggling in the background over your ringtone again.”

                “Hi, Mommy!” Eliana was shouting in the background as she leapfrogged her own footprints in the middle of the room, making Mulder roll his eyes.

                “What do you have her jacked up on, Mulder? She sounds really hyper,” Scully sounded less unamused and more worried as Eliana’s voice definitely came across as under the influence of sugar rather than pure, unrestrained playtime.

                “Pardon you, she’s just having fun—no need for any candy over here yet, Scully,” Mulder scoffed and briefly turned his back on Eliana to turn the faucet off in the kitchen. “She’s been fed, washed, dressed, and now, we play. How is the airport?”

                “Flights were delayed…one of them lands in about ten minutes and the other lands in fifteen,” Scully sighed audibly into the phone. “I’d much rather be there with you two with a really hot cup of tea in my hands.”

                “So would we—Eliana don’t wipe that all over the wall, it’ll get all over your hands,” Mulder turned just in time to see Eliana making a handprint in the smudge of blue just below the palm print that they’d already dusted.

                “Mulder, what exactly is Eliana getting all over the wall and why would it be a problem?” Scully had that tone in her voice that tended to disarm him as she questioned him, the crowds of people moving around in the background only partially muffling her.

                “Oh, no real reason, Scully…everything is great!” Mulder bluffed as he snapped his fingers at Eliana, just loud enough to get her attention before pointing at the sink to wash up. “Everything is under control.”

                “We’re on an adventure Mommy! Love you!”  Eliana was on her tiptoes, washing her hands while hollering toward Mulder as he pressed a hand to the bridge of his nose.

                “Mulder…I have to bring Bill into that house in less than an hour, please don’t let it be looking like two banshees were inside of it for an entire day,” Scully was hanging on the edge of exasperation as Mulder sucked his bottom lip into his mouth to hold back a laugh. “What is an adventure exactly?”

                “Oh ye of little faith, Scully…we’re just having a mini-investigation like the old days,” Mulder smirked and helped Eliana to wipe her hands after double checking to make sure she had all of the blue gone.

                “Kind of like those ones where you did things on your own, failed, and I had to come save your silly ass?” Scully didn’t even hesitate with the words as they rolled off her tongue, the amusement evident as Mulder furrowed his brow in the archway between the kitchen and the living room.

                “Not at all, Scully, but don’t you worry, we won’t destroy the house while we resume our investigation,” Mulder cleared his throat as Eliana was already moving toward the back door, her hand just barely touching the top lock as she went up on her tiptoes. “You know I love you…”

                “I love you, despite my better judgment in the endeavor, Mulder,” Scully couldn’t hold back the giggling any longer. “Kiss her for me. I’ll be home soon with a packed SUV of tired passengers.”

                “If she’ll stand still long enough…Scully, I’ll talk to you soon,” Mulder’s smirk evaporated as he watched her yank the door open and grin back at him before taking that first, quick step onto the back deck, while he failed to hang up before the last words came out of his mouth. “Shortstack, hey, you come back here…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quote by Walt Disney


	3. Raindrops and Daffodils

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter three starts off where the second ended, with the conclusion of the phone call between Mulder and Scully as she is at the airport—two-part chapter will follow the journey home and the aftermath of the phone call to check in on Mulder and Eliana. 
> 
> Prepare for surprises! There be emotions here!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I make a rather nice reference to Game of Thrones, right away, try not to miss it...
> 
> Matthew honored Melissa by naming his child Melissa. I felt it was appropriate. 
> 
> HUGE NOTE -- I wanted to put in Skinner, SO BAD, but I didn't have room for him! He IS alive in my world and is essentially an Uncle. Yes indeed. 
> 
> Disclaimer: Agent Scully, Agent Mulder, and Assistant Director Skinner belong respectively to Chris Carter, FOX Productions, and TenThirteen Productions. All other characters are original and any likeness or named similarities to any real-life persons are purely coincidental (unless, well, you’ve been told, then you should’ve expected such things and shouldn’t get upset over anything that happens to them, respectively)

 

 

_It didn’t matter_

_How big our house was;_

_It mattered_

_That there was_

_Love in it._

-Peter Buffett

 

Dulles International Airport (Arrivals/Baggage)

Dulles, VA

 

                “Shortstack, hey, you come back here…”

                “Mulder!” Scully’s face was caught somewhere between worry and frustration as he hung up, leaving her to her own devices in the SUV. “I’m going to come home to a wreck of a house with guests who think I am raising a wildling.”

                Scully had managed to find a parking space that butted up against a gap in the concrete, exposing a solid path to the sky and revealed the reason for half of the flights to be delayed or canceled as the massive, spring thunder clouds were rolling just to the east. They were due for another onslaught of intense weather but she was hoping to get through at least the majority of the day before it hit—mother nature seemed to have other plans. She chewed on her bottom lip and sucked the remnants of an expensive cup of coffee from the inside of the airport dry before discarding it into the cup holder. Her mind was on her home; on the sweet six-year-old with the endless supply of energy along with the man that had graciously and willingly held onto her heart for all of these years, in spite of so much change and strife. Scully’s eyes glanced at the simple but beautiful ring that had been made for her from pieces of jewelry that came from both women who never got a chance to hear her make it official—to a son and a son-in-law. The stones were perfect, aptly placed and not at all gaudy, representing the literal coming together of the Scully family and the Mulder family via two hearts that seemed destined to walk alone—in parallel to the other.

                Nothing worthwhile is ever easy and if it were easy it would not matter. It had become their motto. Their deepest, tried and true insignia…their way to live life to the absolute fullest.

                “Time, time, what time is it?” Scully swiped through her cell phone again, lighting up the screen with the arrival updates, seeing that she only had a few more minutes to waste before one arrival would be here. “I got this…it’s only ten more minutes of talking to myself like a crazy person.”

                Preparing for only the third Easter that Eliana was really readily participating in was proving to be more difficult and yet, more interesting at the same time. She had to fight twice as hard to find great hiding places for every little treasure but looked forward to Mother-Daughter bonding moments like they had when they were decorating the eggs. The reckless abandon that she operated every ounce of energy and elation had grown tenfold, enveloping every bit of zest from both of her parents in an almost endless supply. Mulder’s inheritance had given them a certain amount of freedom in raising her and being less needy in terms of both of them having jobs outside of the home—freelancing for Mulder in anything he so chose and Scully spent time at Quantico running courses for the incoming medical examiner’s finishing out their final course load. The life they chose gave them every opportunity to be the parents they never thought they’d have the chance to be again.

                At least not in any incarnation of this life, anyway.

                The ringtone set to some obscure tune tore her away from the daydream in an instant as she slid the green icon across the screen to initiate the call. “Scully?”

                “You still answer the phone like that? Really, Dana, you could’ve just looked at the caller ID to know it was me,” Bill Jr. still had that amazing knack to get her eyes rolling as she glanced along the pathway that led between the parking structure and the main terminal. “Flight just landed, we’re grabbing our bags right now…we still waiting on Matthew and Keri?”

                “Have to keep you guessing somehow. Their flight is just behind yours, I’m on the second level parking, ready when you are,” Scully didn’t want to admit, she missed family as she could hear Tara talking in the background as they were gathering their things.

                “We’ll be up in a few minutes…just have to locate Tara’s suitcase,” Bill paused, Tara’s voice getting louder as he let her talk for a minute. “That’s a good point…do you want us to hang back here to wait for Matthew, Keri, and Mel? That way it’ll be one group heading up to you.”

                “Sure, I’ll text Matthew to look for you near the baggage claim,” Scully was mildly relieved at the prospect of being able to wrap her arms around Eliana in under forty-five minutes if all things went the way they were going. “See you soon.”

                She hung up the call, waiting only for the affirmation from Bill, and scrolled until she found her nephew’s phone number in the log of recent calls and texts. She sent the text ‘ _Your parents will be at baggage claim when you land, find them and then come to the second level of parking. Love you!_ ’ and leaned her head back, the wonderment of little Matthew already being a husband and a father swirling around in her mind even though Melissa was older than Eliana. It was a concept that never quite seemed real as she flipped through the photos on her phone, smiling at the progression of age from birth to the present of the nearly seven-year-old that had Eliana beat in age by nearly six months.  She was grateful for the family that stayed, however few in number, as Eliana started to ask questions and expand her curiosities—having Bill and Tara no more than a flight away made things easy in spite of the ever-strained relationship between Mulder and Bill.

                This was her family, however dysfunctional and crazy they truly were, the love was there and evident without a single question.

                Scully turned the stereo on and flipped through the satellite radio stations until it landed on the beginning beats of an Empire of the Sun tune that had her gently drumming on the armrest. She wasn’t typically into a lot of modern music but the lyrics struck her deeply as “so get us home” popped out at her amongst the rhythm. She let the song play out and found herself tapping her foot to the tune, liking the lyrics more and more as the chorus started, realizing it was like every moment of going home—carrying Eliana fresh from the hospital, the first time walking over the threshold as a wife (officially), and every milestone that came to pass within those walls. Her home wasn’t just the little, white, unremarkable house with the fresh coat of paint and tiny renovations to make it brighter, more open…it was the arms that held her nightly and the beautiful little girl that grew in her belly for just shy of nine months that calls her Mommy.

                “Damn song is going to make me emotional and I’m going to look like shit in front of family,” Scully wiped her eyes and sucked back the tears as the begged to fall before the phone across her thigh started to buzz wildly.

                She glanced down at the screen, at the text that scrawled across the top of the phone in bold lettering that read ‘ _We just landed; give us a few minutes to climb out of seats and we’re on our way_ ’ from Matthew. It wouldn’t be long before she’d see all of their weary yet smiling faces coming across the crosswalk from the main terminal, ready to be on their way to the house. She pulled the keys out of the ignition and pocketed her phone before sliding out of the SUV, moving toward the front as the cool, spring breeze moved through her hair, blowing it away from her shoulders. She looked up at the sky again, at the cloud formations in the distance as they were growing near, and felt the change in the wind as the hints of a storm were clear, ready. Scully had gotten more familiar with the tiniest of transitions in the air that triggered a feeling, a distinct hint of an approaching storm or directionality swing in the breeze. The quiet of the acreage made it easier to sense it brewing, from miles away.

                “There they are,” Scully spotted them as they came out through the sliding, double doors, dragging small, rolling suitcases while Keri held onto Melissa’s hand.

                They truly looked like they were ready for a hot meal, a drink, and relaxation, in spite of the egg hunt that Scully had planned for the girls along with a couple of lovely Easter baskets for both of them. She smirked over the idea of the melee that two six-year-olds were bound to incur on a group of adults despite their best efforts of keeping up and harnessing them…a lesson in futility. Bill Jr. spotted Scully standing at the railing before completely getting to the elevator as a weak, yet appreciative smile formed across is lips. She watched as they disappeared then made her way to the back of the SUV, triggering the release on the liftgate to make sure there was plenty of room for their luggage. The ding of the elevator was quick and ushered out the chatter of eager family members as they came around the corner to meet her, with grins upon their tired, ready to be hugged faces.

                “You haven’t changed a day, Dana,” Tara was the first to hug her while Bill and Matthew slid luggage into the back, giving each of the girls a chance to see Scully first. “You have to share your secret for looking this lovely while chasing a six-year-old on a daily basis.”

                “I wouldn’t even know where to start on that one,” Scully was beaming as she moved from Tara to Keri, hugging her tight. “It’s so good to see you…all of you.”

                “Where’s Uncle Mulder?” Melissa was a touch pushier than Eliana but just as well-spoken as she jumped in on the hug in front of her Mother, wrapping both arms around Scully’s legs. “I mean, hi Auntie Dana.”

                Scully chuckled and ran her fingers along her cheek, tucking a section of hair behind her ear as she gathered it, shaking her head just a little. “Hey, kiddo…You know, he’s back at the house with Eliana.”

                “Which is exactly where we should be heading off to,” Bill Jr. waited until Matthew snagged an embrace from Scully to get his, waiting till he was the last to do so as he put his arms around his little sister and squeezed tighter than he had in a long time. “It really is good to see you.”

                “Need to plan more of these get-togethers in the future, then,” Scully knew that time had been an unkind mistress to them in their lives in some form or another but they were always brought back to this moment of knowing they’d always have each other.

                “We can start making sure of it, more than just the holidays,” Bill Jr. nodded as he took a step back, glancing at his granddaughter, who looked so much like Matthew, but had every bit of Keri’s lovely, long, blonde locks to match.

                “Good, it’s settled then,” Scully nodded and double checked that the last of the luggage had been loaded before closing the liftgate to the SUV. “Well, we should get going then?”

                It was settled and they all loaded into the SUV, readied for the short journey back to Mulder and Scully’s home to celebrate an Easter to remember. She took a long look along the highway as the storm loomed on the horizon; as the skies were ready to open up and pour on the fresh fields of wild blooms along with the patches of daffodils pushing through the high grass.

 

 

Thirty-Five Minutes later

The Unremarkable House

Clifton, VA

 

                Eliana’s loud, half squeal of a laugh scattered a flock of birds that had attempted to rest comfortably on a nearby powerline as she went leaping through a sea of high grass, kicking up the pollen in her wake. The wild daffodils were blooming along the shorter, maintained grasses, near the flower beds, almost as though they were attempting to fit in with the intentionally planted blooms like little, yellow stowaways in a vast sea of colors. Eliana had been picking them, gathering them by the handfuls to put in a vase between attempts to lean into a belly crawl in her dress. Luckily, Mulder was clairvoyant every time she started to squat into it and would click his tongue atop the roof of his mouth followed by a ‘don’t ruin that dress, little girl’, which would correct her posture in a heartbeat.

                She swore he had eyes in the back of his head, worse than Scully, as he caught her doing it when she wasn’t even in his line of sight.

                “Daddy is a psychic, don’t mess with me,” Mulder would tease her, earning a pterodactyl squeal in the process before he’d send her into the house with the flowers to pop into the vase on the table.

                This was the epitome of bliss and no one was going to tell him different. Eliana came bounding down the stairs, swinging both arms as she carried her notes back toward the fence, her pretty dress swaying in the breeze. Sometimes he wondered how sweet and perfect came from a union with him—then he remembered that she shared genetics with Scully and it all came flooding back. She held the notepad in her hands, the pages thoroughly doodled and scribbled on in her valiant attempt at sentence structure as she scoped out a section of wildflowers where Scully had hidden at least three decorated eggs beneath their stems. Mulder had been taking careful notes of their thorough dissection of the yard and spent the better part of the past forty minutes grabbing Eliana by the back of her dress as she nearly tumbled into a large, deep mud puddle near the edge of the fence. The excitement was heightening the clumsiness and her dress shoes weren’t exactly helping in the matter as they snagged on anything deeper than a half inch if she managed to drag her foot rather than lift it.

                “Rookie, you missed another one,” Mulder pointed at a bright, purple egg hiding beneath a fence post, hoping to get her to slow down for a moment as he couldn’t help but take note of the healthy amount of nearly swampy dirt in this section of the yard. “Have you been concentrating hard enough to notice all of these?”

                “Maybe, maybe not,” Eliana’s cheeks were red and she was spending more time playing than thinking as she scrunched up her nose at him, her foray into sarcasm rivaling both of her parents. “Daddy, what else gets celebrated during Easter other than Jesus and the Fox or the Bunny?”

                “Really, those are the only things—but family is celebrated as well. A lot of families have big dinners together on Easter to celebrate being together, even if it’s just for that one day,” Mulder admired her pure curiosity as he glanced up at the sky, up at the same set of clouds that he didn’t know Scully was looking at.

                “What are you looking at, Daddy?” Eliana looked up in the same general direction, squinting in the same fashion as she held onto the middle plank of the fence.

                “Those clouds look like it might rain—hope your Mommy gets home soon,” Mulder furrowed his brow, contemplating the movement of each section of billowing clouds as they started to reach outward, fluffing like pillows along the horizon. “Storm is coming.”

                “Does that mean I have to go inside to play?” Eliana’s bottom lip had this routine down like pat as it already jutted out and dipped down, her pout potent and often instant kryptonite for Mulder. “Daddy?”

                “You know I hate it when you do that, sugar foot,” Mulder’s eyebrow elevated as the smirk crept across his lips, the urge to tell her ‘no’ more than a little evident as he audibly sighed. “However, we should be fine for a little while longer—but when I say, ‘okay, go inside’ it’s time to go inside, got it?”

                “Okay, Daddy,” Her grin was the stuff of miracles as she hugged him, wrapping both arms around him with such force that she nearly knocked him clear off balance.

                “Psssttt…Ellie…you’re not paying complete attention to the trail of the Easter Fox,” Mulder lowered his voice and knelt down beside her, wrapping one arm around her until he pointed across the yard at a section of potted plants closer to the house with disturbed soil and dots of color poking out. “I spy another clue.”

                Eliana’s mouth dropped open as she brought her hand up to cover it, the gasp audible behind her palm, softening her excitement as she stared at it from across the yard. “How’d we miss that when we came down the stairs?”

                “Sometimes the most obvious of hints are the most cryptic in nature—the hardest to see,” Mulder motioned for her to be absolutely quiet as they moved forward, inching their way toward the elaborate little section of hidden eggs near the steps to the back deck. “This must be a special spot, they’re the prettiest ones yet.”

                “Ooh, I think so too, Daddy,” Eliana was completely fascinated by everything as she leaned against Mulder while he doodled a little diagram in his notebook, signaling her to attempt something similar in her own. “Are we close to catching him?”

                “I certainly think so,” Mulder smirked and stood up straight, dusting off his jeans as he flipped through his notepad. “We’ve done an awful lot of notetaking and that dusting kit nearly paid the price twice for our investigation—give me the rundown on where you might think we should look next.”

                “How about you two re-trace your steps into the house where some curious little prints are all over in bright, shiny, blue dusting powder?” Scully’s voice came from above on the railing, her amusement evident as she leaned against the white painted wood, her hair cascading down on one side of her face.

                “Mommy!” Eliana nearly biffed it in the dirt right there as both feet slid far apart as she scrambled toward the steps to get to Scully at the top, grinning from ear-to-ear as she finally wrapped her arms around her waist.

                “Hi sweet pea, I see you and Daddy have been playing with the fingerprint kit,” Scully glanced at Mulder, smirking as she ran a hand across Eliana’s cheek, thumbing across her nose in the process, discovering the tiniest blue dot along the edge of her nostril. “Daddy made you sneeze, didn’t he?”

                “Well, um, I got close and it just kind of…made my nose go itchy, then it poofed on the wall in a big, blue cloud,” Eliana stood, wide-eyed, using her hands to paint the picture for Scully and pointed at Mulder’s face as she drove the final point home. “But it got Daddy, too.”

                “Uh oh…well, what exactly were you two doing with the fingerprint kit, anyway?” Scully knew exactly where this was leading but she was enjoying watching Mulder squirm just a little as he came up the steps to meet her, hoping for a kiss as he leaned in close, only to earn a chaste peck for his trouble.

                “Where are your hostages, Scully?” Mulder was determined to change the subject but the deepening smile painted on her face was completely an indication she wasn’t going to honor that request just yet.

                “We were having an investigation, Mommy,” Eliana held up her little lanyard to show Scully, who held it and winked in Mulder’s direction as the story continued. “See, Daddy made me my very own badge and everything!”

                “You should ask Daddy exactly how many investigations he solved without Mommy’s help because I’m sure this would’ve been a much less messy one with Mommy here to assist,” Scully knew exactly which buttons to push as she crossed her arms and flashed her teeth at him.

                “Now, now, you don’t play fair,” Mulder trapped her against the railing and made a face, glancing at the amused child next to them. “Mommy forgets that Daddy solved plenty of cases without her.”

                “If only you could’ve met your Uncle Frohike, Eliana, he’d love to tell you all about the time that your Daddy ended up nak—” Mulder clasped a hand over her mouth and hummed loudly as he pressed his lips to her forehead.

                “Daddy doesn’t need a flashback about those days, Mommy,” Their banter was capturing the attention of more than their child as Bill Jr. and Tara were now standing in the doorway, unsure of whether or not to be amused at the display going on before them.

                “As hilariously sad as watching the two of you banter is, the inside of this kitchen smells like absolute heaven and I just heard a chorus of stomachs start to growl—including my own,” Bill Jr. spoke up and made heads turn awkwardly toward the doorway.

                “Uncle Bill!” Eliana’s shriek could’ve shattered glass but he appreciated the enthusiasm and the warm hug as she wrapped both arms around him, squeezing as tightly as her arms would allow. “You came for Easter?!”

                “Well, yeah, honey…Aunt Tara and I are here along with Matthew, Keri, and Melissa,” Bill Jr. caught himself emotional over looking at the curls, as he immediately thought of Dana at that age, with that same, brilliant smile in spite of him always being such a jack-ass. “We wanted to celebrate with you, kiddo.”

                Eliana was overwhelmed by even thinking about the house being filled with family as she went straight to Mulder and Scully, pulling them into one of those healthy embraces that could only be described as emotional. They held their miracle between them, gathered her precious curls between their fingers and pressed a finger to each of her freckle kissed cheeks before laying delicate kisses of their own to the space above each of her eyebrows. They could’ve held her like that for forever but she wiggled free and went in search of Melissa, chattering on about egg hunting, a topic of which had every adult covering a series of long, albeit quiet, laughs while the two girls started gathering the hidden eggs all over the deck and in the yard.

                “You know, I think I just felt a raindrop on the top of my head, Scully,” Mulder stood on the middle step, running a hand through his hair, his eyes fixated on her as she stayed against the railing, a glow about her as she seemed so deeply in thought watching the girls play together.

                “So, what is your point, Mulder?” Scully met gazes with his, her eyes smiling as she stood up a little straighter. “You’re beating around the bush again.”

                “That dress is going to get ruined in the mud once that rain starts really coming down,” the voice was masculine but a little tentative as it came from behind them, the effect of which had Mulder’s expression softening, his eyes almost glassing over as he stood there, unsure of whether they were really there.

                “Wait a second,” Scully turned, gripped the railing a little harder as she scrutinized his face, the soft features standing out beneath a chiseled chin that had started to stand out with age, striking hazel eyes, and a full head of brown hair that had been recently trimmed. “Oh, my God…hi…”

                “Surprise?” Jackson’s smile was genuine, his body language open as he took a couple of steps forward, the hesitancy that once resided in his heart gone as he put his arms out to meet them.

                Scully and Mulder both would have been lying if this moment didn’t feel like a still cut straight from a Lifetime movie but their relationship with an estranged child had been a saga, to say the least. They had pictured a moment like this for such a long time after typically getting a phone call well ahead of time to arrange a specified time to adhere to sensitive anal-retentivity and anxiety that always required the highest of care. It was expected, necessary, and they had already leaped through fire to show Jackson that he was important to their life, even if it meant from a distance until he was ready. He would always be their first born and in their beating hearts, they knew the connection would always be there in spite of any strain that had existed previously.

                This moment meant something—it was a giant leap amongst the collective of baby steps.

                “This is the best kind of surprise,” Scully held him, enfolding him in one of those hugs that felt more like she was holding the world together from coming apart at the seams. “What made you change your mind about being around the whole family this year?”

                “Not that we mind, we were hoping you would come,” Mulder smiled, waiting for his chance to hug him and took joy in the idea of his son being essentially the same height as him as he squeezed him tight.

                Jackson gestured toward Eliana and nodded in her direction, smirking as she nearly had her basket filled as she played and hunted for eggs with Melissa. “I keep missing out on my sister because I’m nervous about knowing more than the little bubble of a life I had before. My world doesn’t have to be small to feel comfortable…and it doesn’t have to be isolated in order to be safe.”

                Scully was taken aback at how grown up he sounded, at how profound the words were as she gave his hand a squeeze. “You have as much time here as you need—and you’re always welcome.”

                “Jackson!” Eliana shouted from the yard as she carried her nearly full basket all the way to the top of the steps. “You came!”

                “Yeah, of course, squirt, I’m here,” Jackson smiled and knelt down to her to give her a big squeeze. “You didn’t think I’d miss out on Easter with the whole fam, did you?”

                “No,” Eliana giggled and pulled her basket forward, the eagerness spilling over as Mulder and Scully stood to the side to witness their two children having a moment together. “Look at how many eggs I’ve found.”

                “You’re quite the clue finder—I wonder where you got that from?” Jackson smiled and stood up straight, winking at her as she started back down the stairs.

                “Come on, Jackson, come help!” Eliana begged as she stepped into the grass, looking up at her big brother with her kryptonite bottom lip out to attempt utilization on him in the same fashion as Mulder.

                Like a charm, Eliana’s pout worked in under thirty seconds as he relented. Jackson went out in to the yard with her as she wrapped her fingers tightly around his, leading him in every direction. It was a priceless, precious moment that he’d never forget, nor would she…neither would their parents as they watched from the stairs. It was one of those times that Scully was grateful for other family members to be around as she heard the gentle clicking of Tara already taking pictures of the sweet scene unfolding before them.

                “Did you ever think it would be this good, Scully?” Mulder nudged her from against the railing as they watched both of them in the yard looking for eggs as the rain began to fall.

                Scully shook her head, glanced up at the storm clouds, then laced her fingers with his to revel in his comfort for a little while longer. “Not even close—but here comes that rain we both expected would be here.”

                “Should we call them in?” Mulder placed a kiss along her jaw and squeezed her fingers as he watched her slowly blink.

                “No, it’s only raindrops, they’re having so much fun and I’m not spoiling this moment,” Scully grinned and leaned her head against him. “We can call them inside once lunch is ready.”

                “I had a feeling that this was going to be one hell of an Easter, Scully.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I skipped a lot of detailed notes for the end of chapter two for a couple of reasons (it was succinct and there wasn't a need) -- this has been such a journey in a weird way. Elise, you gave one of the most interesting prompts and I hope that it was exactly what you were looking for. I hope that I created a little Mulder-Scully-child that we all can adore and gave you a couple of surprises along the way that made sense. Every detail mattered and I wanted it to feel like something we could all see playing out on a screen. 
> 
> Again, to Monika...Myla is the pterodactyl. lol Cate...you giggling over the tidbits I showed you had me holding on when I thought I was losing my mind. Without both of you, this entire fic might've fallen apart.
> 
> Beginning quote by Peter Buffett  
> Song mentioned - On our way home by Empire of the Sun (please look it up, it's so pretty)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you, as always, to Monika for helping me to get through this one and to Cate for reading snippets. I was really stunned at how well this turned out considering how few fics I have written on this particular topic.
> 
> References in chapter one:
> 
> Beginning quote by:  
> Albert Einstein
> 
> Eliana put on Three Dog Night -- JEREMIAH WAS A BULLFROG...WAS A GOOD FRIEND OF MINE.


End file.
